Seven Hills

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Sunday Morning at the Museum

On weekends we trade off who gets up early with Henry, so both parents get at least one morning to sleep in. My early day is usually Sunday, and it can be a long haul when you're up before six and nothing in the neighborhood opens for many hours.

But ever since I learned that the Harvard Museum of Natural History is free to Massachusetts residents on Sunday mornings from 9 until 12, I've discovered where the toddlers of Cambridge and Somerville hang out during this otherwise dead stretch of time. The museum is crawling (sometimes literally) with tiny children scampering through the dimly lit hallways and glass cases full of exotic creatures and prehistoric fossils. It's quite a scene.

The museum really feels like a place from another time, especially the large mammal hall, which could be a set from an Indiana Jones movie. And I've learned about a few new creatures, myself, trotting after Henry as he dashes along greeting the various taxidermied souls.